ON LOCATION TOURS: A TWIST ON NYC SIGHTSEEING

pic
pic
pic
pic
pic

Movie Tour List

Last week I was lucky enough to spend my day of interning outside the office and on the NYC TV & Movie tour by On Location

Tours. This tour led me all around the city and highlighted the famous filming locations from movies and television shows. We started in a classic New York spot: Ellen’s Stardust Diner. Among the mist and the clouds, I stood under the brightly lit sign and waited for my tour guide to arrive.

Roseanne, a spirited and funny professional actress, greeted our group. Along with Luis, our bus driver, we were quickly on the road to see the famous film sights of NYC. Roseanne is extremely knowledgeable about all movie trivia and facts of NYC, she used her talent and humor to make the tour even more entertaining.

I complied a list of my favorites sights:

Times Square

A never-ending, always crowded, tourist trap, every New Yorker knows to avoid when possible. However, it is a very popular spot for film. This was the first of many times Roseanne proved just how knowledgeable she is. It has been the setting of countless movies, but did you know the only movie where they completely shut down Times Square was Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise? Since it caused so many traffic issues, the city no longer allows Time Square to be closed for filming. So, when they filmed Birdman (Michael Keaton, Emma Stone) they had to utilize the people already there as extras!

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky

The Plaza Hotel

One of my favorite childhood spots and the setting of some of my favorite movies like Eloise at the PlazaBride Wars, and Home Alone 2. Also, the Pulitzer fountain was inspiration for the fountain in the opening credits of Friends!

pic

home alone

friends

Rockefeller Center

Catch Liz Lemon (30 Rock) getting hot dog or try to spot a celebrity host from SNL, Rockefeller Plaza is where you can find the giant Christmas Tree, ice skating rink and your favorite morning talk shows.

gif

Source

The New York Public Library

A beautiful spot on 5th Ave, surrounded by Bryant Park, where everyone took shelter in The Day After Tomorrow and where Jerry Seinfeld from Seinfeld had an overdue book from 1971!

public library

New York Public Library Steps in The Day After Tomorrow Photo Credit

New York Public Library Steps in The Day After Tomorrow  Photo Credit

Washington Square Park

Also known as NYU’s unofficial campus, Roseanne told us how while leading a tour last summer, she saw Ghostbusters 3 filming (and then even made it into the trailer!). Also a notable spot was Will Smith’s townhouse in I Am Legend on Washington Square North.

Washington Square Arch

will smith's house in I Am Legend

 

TriBeCa

The location of some of the most sought after real estate on the island (residents include Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce and Jay-Z) it also is the home to Hook and Ladder 8, the firehouse from the original Ghost Busters.

pic

pic

Monica’s Apartment from Friends

One of my favorites of the whole tour, it was exciting to see the exterior of the apartment where we all wished we lived, and even better, the exterior of Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment that is across the street!

The Original Soup Nazi

The Original Soup Nazi

NO SOUP FOR YOU! Based on this real life spot, Seinfeld’s Soup Nazi is infamous for his crazy rules and precise ordering strategy.

pic

The Original Rules

 

 

So, if you’re like me, a movie connoisseur, Netflix binger, and someone who watched all 10 seasons of Friends in under 3 months, then this tour is definitely for you.

The NYC TV & Movie Tour runs every Wednesday at 10 a.m. They also offer a multitude of other themed tours including Gossip Girl, Real Housewives of New York, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos. Reserve a spot at onlocationtours.com

A big thanks to my amazing tour guide Roseanne and our bus driver Luis, who made this tour such a fun experience!

The tour ended with a sweet treat: NYC Classic Black & White Cookie

The tour ended with a sweet treat: NYC Classic Black & White Cookie